September 2016

If you have been following my blog and my sister Natalie‘s blog for awhile, you probably have come to know how much love we share for the footwear brand Teva. We road tripped through the South to Bonnaroo (New Orleans, Birmingham, Nashville) in them last year, and we adventured through Costa Rica in them just this past summer. I gotta say, we’ve gone a long way with Teva sandals on our feet. Not really sure we could have adventured as much without them. They lived through torrential tropical downpours, desert sandstorms, intense sweating sessions, foot crushing in large groups of dancing ravers, and muddy hikes through the rainforest. And a whole lot of other things in-between, I’m sure you can imagine.

This time around we partnered up with Teva to show you all a new side of the brand. It’s fall now, and we still want to wear our Tevasandals! So what to do?! Why . . . socks, of course! Socks and sandals have become a much-talked about trend a few seasons ago on the runways, and Natalie and I got addicted to this pairing. Some might think it’s a weird trend to take on, without a doubt semi-inspired by suburban American Dads some may say, but we believe that with the right kind of colors and texture it can really add to an outfit. What’s the point of having fun, sparkly disco ball socks when you can’t show them off, right?!

Natalie and I styled our Tevasandals in five different ways that fit into our lives here in New York City . . . literally bringing Tevasandals and socks to the city streets. We definitely turned heads, and for sure we made a statement. We hope our style guide inspires you guys to do the same and experiment with your Tevasandalsand socks 🙂

Check out the Teva blog for a deeper look into our looks and how we came up with them.

At home here in my favorite cozy corner of my Brooklyn apartment. This is the corner where I relax after a long day, do my work at my desk, light a candle and read a book, water my plants that have recently brought me so much joy, and attempt to learn new songs to play on my guitar (even though I am very bad at it). It’s where I play classical music, too, and make sure to start checking things off my to-do list. Maybe tackle some of the writing prompts that I have given myself. And then I can admire my neighborhood street just outside my window. It’s the perfect zen setting. The evening time being the most peaceful, and for me, also the most productive. Speaking of productivity, workwear totally plays into it. Dressing for the task can help loads at putting yourself into that mindset of getting things done. I’ve never been the one to ever take workwear seriously, or dress professionally for the work space, and especially now that I am working on more creative freelance projects out of the comfort of my own home. But sometimes it feels nice to put myself together and wear an outfit that reminds me to get to work. Even if I’m just at home. New York & Company‘s specialty is this . . . bringing the world of work and fashion together seamlessly. The new Eva Mendes Collection at New York & Company is the perfect example of this. It let’s me show off me inner bohemian, but at the same time feels very sophisticated and minimal. Basically every modern day working girl’s dream. Okay, gonna get back to work now in my favorite cozy little corner. Talk later.

Today, as people of modern times, embracing equality of the sexes is a no brainer to us (thank goodness). But the point I am trying to make with this post is that still, I’m not going to lie, but being a girl is pretty dope. Sorry boys, but we got it good. I’m teaming up with Vera Bradley to prove all the millions of reasons why it’s good to be a girl (btw I’m writing this while I’m on my period, so you know that I am being very, very honest here). And I’m realizing these reasons more and more each and every day. My birthday is tomorrow actually, and accepting who I am as an individual, and most importantly, as a woman who proudly can say “This is ME,” resonates so strongly with me at this moment.

I love that as a modern day woman I can be multi-dimensional. I can be both a creative and a businesswoman. I don’t have to ever pick one or the other. I’m not afraid to wear many hats, and I’m probably more headstrong than many of the men who only wear one. I am a daughter, a sister, a friend, a girlfriend, a writer, a photographer, a visual content creator, a perpetual dreamer and a hopefully someday mother. I’m a supporter of women with goals like mine that extend beyond the limitations that we felt around us when we were younger. I’m confident with my body even though it has changed so many times throughout my 28 (almost 29) years. I’ve even hated it before, but with age I’ve come to learn the needs of my body and have never loved it more than right this second. For a girl, that is quite a big statement to say. Still today, our bodies are always prone of objectification, especially when we least want it, but I feel strong to take a stand to protect my body’s rights and values. My curves, my scars, and all the things that make up my body are mine, and together they create my temple. The least I can do is treat it with the most love it can get, and especially every flaw because those are the things that make us unique . . . . femininely unique. And for that reason they are beautiful.

I love being a girl because I can play dress up and wake up to channel anyone I want. Fashion goes so strongly hand in hand with femininity. It is so much a part of me, passed on from my mother and to her from my grandmother. It’s an expression of my personality, and for us girls, it’s the most fun and accessible way for us to express ourselves. Much like how this Vera Bradley Small Ella Tote ups the ante of my black overalls and white sheer blouse ensemble. It’s bold and striking like how my personality is when I want to get things done. When I want to tackle challenges. When I want to blow my own expectations of myself out of the water. I’m stylish, charming, daring and sweet. Because I’m a girl, I can be all of these things.

Growing up, us girls always had to work harder to be better at the boys it seemed . . . at sports, at science, at bringing in the money . . . when really we were always just as good. But society just made it seem like we were born to not be as naturally good at these sort of things (what does science really know?!?). But with time, we have proved them wrong. We aren’t just good enough, we can also say that we are better and not be ashamed to hold onto this claim. And today, I finally feel like I have every right to be anything I want, and motivated to be proud of my strengths, not influenced to hide them. Like science does say though, as women we are already more passionate and nurturing than the other sex (hehe), so letting these strengths of ours roar is the only thing we have left to do now. Thanks Vera Bradley for allowing me to reflect on why being a girl is so dang awesome.

It might be the hardest thing to explain . . . one’s relationship with a sister. It’s a fascinating dynamic, that’s for sure. Years of entangled memories that seem to stick more than anything else as the years flash by. So many bruises, so many inside jokes, so much name calling, so much of what can feel like hate and annoyance, but most of all . . . so much love. Together, sisters can take over the world, but there are moments when the momentum goes far to fast for its own good that all there is left is to crash and burn . . . only for the cuts and broken pieces to be mended back to brand new in just the next day . . . maybe in the next few hours . . . but even more likely in the next few minutes. Unconditional love is a real thing when it comes to the stories of sisters. Take my sister Natalie and I. We’ve seen each other at our worst, but we’ve seen each out at our best, and our moods are a steady pendulum that swings between these two extremes. But every little moment in-between counts for something special, as well. Together these little moments are a steady beat with bumps and leaps that is exciting to say the least. A reminder that our lives are like a song. There’s gotta be a break somewhere. A repeated chorus. A verse that stands out the most. A fade that lingers in our mind for what seems like forever.

There hasn’t been anyone before where I could be my total and complete self. Unafraid to show my vulnerabilities, my confidences and strengths, my deepest and darkest secrets and my biggest dreams (most of which we share). It’s quite an an amazing thing to read the mind of someone and not even know you are doing it, and they can do the same thing back. It’s almost magical. With sisters, this feeling is just normal. Involving work into our relationship may seem like too much of a strain on something that can be explained as the strongest and most endless of friendships, but somehow we balance everything out perfectly. It’s also the biggest challenge, but who ever said things always have to be easy? Our biggest challenges, our biggest fights, our most frustrating of days . . . they all remind us to take a step back and realize that beyond all of these there, there exists something really simple and bared down . . . the fact that we will always have each other . . . each other’s trust, forgiveness and reliability. And that is all that really matters. The bare bones of it all. The most loveliest of bones. Love ya lil sister.